I started this for my youngest son, Sam and his Autism Service Dog, Hagrid. Sam was diagnosed with Autism and Apraxia when he was 18 months old. If you are new to my Blog I suggest you read my first post "Our Story" its long but will give you more info on where we are now. Also Please "Like" my Facebook page for more info and pics -
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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Many people ask me all of the time about taking their child with Autism to Disney World. Many parents are afraid to even try to go. This blog is meant for YOU!! If your child with Autism is anything like mine, waiting can cause SEVERE meldtowns. This is to help you along and give you some tips. Do not be afraid to go to Disney World. They are really great with our kiddos.Now there are many other people out there with other Disabilities or Special Needs. This blog may give you some tips but not all may apply. This is not to be abused by anyone as it takes away from those who truly need it and if you do abuse it you should be ashamed of yourself! A perfect example is someone I know who I no longer speak to. She can go dancing and out to clubs all year round but when in Disney she throws on a Ace bandage and complains she can't walk or stand for too long. That, to me, is abusing the system. She tries to get on the rides a bit quicker when in reality she CAN wait. Makes me so angry!! Now I am not one to judge anyone else as I know there are hidden disabilities but for this one person I know if full of it!

*The following is our experience with our son with Autism and Apraxia at Disney World. Your experience may differ from ours but this is how it has worked for us the many times we have gone to Disney World from 2009-2013.*

You will find many links on this page. Please click on them as they are all very helpful.

I LOVE Disney World!! I try to go at least once maybe twice
a year if possible.

Our picture from O'hana's.

Sam was more interested in eating his chips..

People always ask me why I love it there….Really?!Well my first and most important reason is
because Sam LOVEs it there!! Sam has Autism and Apraxia and is nonverbal. Sam
has never had anything come easy to him. He struggles every day of his life. People
are always judging him, staring at him and talking about him like he can’t
hear. I fight very hard to shield him of this and raise Autism Awareness. But
when we are at Disney Word Sam gets treated like a king!! It is the one place
where Sam has it a little easier. Nobody judges him there and the Cast Members
(Disney Employees) always go out of their way to make Sam happy. When we first
get to Disney World and hop on the Disney bus Sam’s face lights up and he gets
the hugest smile on his face. Wouldn’t any parent love that?? Behind that face
is my other 4 boys smiling faces!!

People are always asking me questions about Disney World so
I figured I would write a blog about some of my tips.

**I must say now that everyone tours the parks different!
You know your family and it may be totally different than the way we are. I
hope you can takes bits and pieces of what I say and use it to help you.**

The Guest Assistance Card – how to
get it and how it helps.

*The following is our experience with using the GAC card with our son with Autism. Your experience may differ from ours but this is how it has worked for us the many times we have gone to Disney World from 2009-2013. For our son waiting for anything can cause a severe meltdown! Those of you who know Autism know what I mean. This is meant for you!! There are many disabilities and special needs out there but I only have experience with Autism at WDW.

If you or a loved one as any type of Disability or Special
needs you can get a Guest Assistance Card (GAC).You can get them at any of the four parks.
All you need to do is go to the Guest Relations office which is always located
near the entrance. You need to have the
person that has the disability with you when you go. You need to tell the Cast
Member what it is you need assistance with. For Sam we always say that he has
Autism and can’t wait in lines for very long and he also has a very hard time
in crowds. We also have Hagrid, my sons Autism Service Dog so we ask that they
be kept together whenever possible.Back
before we had Hagrid we used Sam’s stroller as his “safe place”. You can
request from them to use your stroller as a wheelchair. They will give you a
red sticker with a picture of a wheelchair to put on the handle of your
stroller. This helped us a ton! We used to be able to keep Sam in it right up
until the ride if he was having a hard time and we knew he wouldn’t make the
walk. It also was very helpful during shows. They would let him stay in it and
one of us could stay next to him. If it was crowded they would make the rest of
us sit a few rows back but if it wasn’t crowded then we could all sit
together.So for Sam’s card it would
have the stroller and a wheelchair stamp and use alternate entrance stamped on
it. They will ask you how long you are staying for and mark it on the card.
They will also ask how many are in your party and they will write that on their
too. They will not ask for a doctor’s note or any proof of the disability.

Without the GAC card we could NEVER go to Disney World. How
does it help us besides the wheelchair use? Well whenever you get to a ride
that the holder of the card is going on you show the Cast Member the card. Most
of the time they will send you in the Fast Pass lane or send you in the handicapped
entrance if there is one.If your child has a very hard time waiting due to Autism your wait time can be MUCH shorter than waiting in the
regular line in most cases. Please note the GAC card is not a cut the line pass and should only be used by those who truly need it. I should also add that if you are in a wheelchair or scooter and cannot transfer out of it then your wait time may be longer. Certain rides only have 1 or 2 wheelchair accessible vehicles. I will use Its A Small World as an example. They only had one boat running that was accessible for a wheelchair. So if you couldn't transfer into the boat and needed the wheelchair accessible boat you would have to wait for that boat to return to the loading dock. If there are others already waiting to get on that boat then you would have to wait for them to finish riding first.

Should you feel guilty for using it?? HECK NO!!! If you or your loved
one doesn’t have the capability of waiting in a line without having a meltdown
this is the only way you and your family can enjoy the parks. I know for me I
feel like Sam struggles so much in his everyday life that this is HIS time to
be happy and the GAC enables him to do that. There are sometimes people who
give us “the look” I call it when we are passing by. One time I stopped and
told a Mom that we could gladly trade places and I will stand in line with all
my typical kids for an hour and her child can have Autism and get on a bit
quicker – I wouldn’t mind that deal at all. Plus I am doing these people a
favor because I am pretty sure they wouldn’t want to be in any line with Sam
while he is having a meltdown!! Some of
the Disney Cast Members at certain rides I noticed our last trip may still try
to get you to wait in the regular line if the wait for it is under 20 minutes.
If you think your child can wait then fine but if not then speak up. Sam really
wanted to ride Aladdin’s Carpet ride last November but he was in a terrible
terrible mood.We were trying to walk
right past it but he starting crying and pulling us towards the ride. The Cast
Member told me we had to wait in the line and it was only 20 minutes. I told
her he really wants to ride it but at this time there is no way he can wait 20
minutes. She then told us to go through the Exit and we could get on next. So don’t
be afraid to ask, just don’t be rude about it. ****The GAC card is only to be used if the person name that is on the card is GOING on that ride.**

Speaking of Rides – We always try to have a plan of how we
want to tour the parks. We see some people wandering around aimlessly and I
prefer not to be one of them!! I also like to research the rides before going if
we haven’t been on it before. ** TIP** Sometimes if you have special needs
child/Adult or someone who is afraid of rides you can watch many of them on You
Tube. I often do this with Sam so he will get excited about riding a ride. It
will also give you an idea if you think your family would enjoy the ride. You can also usually preorder maps before your
trip so you can get an idea of where you want to start.Fastpasses - We do use Fastpasses for the rides Sam doesn't go on. The GAC card is only supposed to be used when the person whose name is on the card is actually going on the ride. I know some people feel that the person should not have to wait for their family for an hour if they dont want to ride. I am not one of those people. I will take Sam off somewhere else or on rides he likes while my older boys ride a bigger ride. Here is some info on Fastpass - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/fast-pass/Disney is also trying something new called Fastpass+. You can reserve a rides in advance before leaving for your trip. Here is some more info on that http://micechat.com/17855-walt-disney-world-fastpass-plus/ I have yet to try the Fastpass plus as it wasn't an option the last time we went.

The GAC card is also good for shows. If you show them the
card many times they will let you sit in the handicapped section. For fireworks
we have never used it. I heard there is a tiny area that you can use it but
they only allow you and one other person and you need to be there really early
to get to it, which for us defeats the purpose.

A tip about the stroller as a wheelchair – even if you thing
you won’t use it as one go ahead and get the sticker anyway. You may change
your mind after a long day or if little Jimmy is having a meltdown and is
refusing to walk.*TIP* It is also very helpful if you go to Disney Quest in
Downtown Disney. They do not let strollers inside at all but if you have the
sticker they will allow you to bring it in.

Example of GAC card.
This in not my picture.
I found it on google images.

Example of sticker
for your stroller. Not my picture.

GAC card and character meet and
greets –

At most character spots the GAC card will not help. It doesn’t
hurt to ask though. Some do have Fastpass. Some places like the Character spot
in Epcot the GAC DOES work and you can get to them a little faster. The
characters can be a stressful time for us. It has happened to us many times
where we try to wait in line to meet them and my husband will sit off to the
side with Sam until it is our turn. It will get close to our turn then we find
out the Character will be taking a 10 minutes break. If I think Sam can wait
then we will or most times we will get off line. I try to set up a few
character meals. I love doing it this way so we don’t have to wait in line to
see them. Of course there are only certain characters at the meals so if you
are looking for a specific character then you may have to wait in the park to
meet them.

Here is a great site where you can look up where the
Characters are. You can view all of the parks and restaurants just click on the
little icon pictures.

Ok so here is where my style may differ from yours. For us
we like to stay onsite in one of the Disney Resorts. We have stayed in many
different ones on different levels but our favorite is the Wilderness Lodge.
For us hopping on the boat and being in Magic Kingdom in 5 minutes is
priceless!! For the other parks we hop on the Disney bus. They run early and
late and we have never had an issue getting anywhere. If we drive to Disney we
usually pull in and don’t touch our car until we pull out to head home. If we
fly we get to use the Magical Express. This is offered to all guests staying
onsite. They will take your luggage right from the airport to your room, no
need to wait at the baggage claim. If you need anything out of your bag right
away or if it is later this may not be a good option for you – if that is the
case just don’t put the special tag they send you on your bag and you will have
to pick it up at baggage claim. Then you hop on the Disney’s Magical Express
bus and off you go to your resort. They
will also pick you up and bring you back to the airport too. If you stay on site you also have access to Disney's Extra Magic hours. That is on certain days a certain park will open early or stay open late only to those who are staying on site. Cast Members will ask to see your room key as proof that you are staying onsite.

The above link also has some offsite places to stay. I have never stayed offsite so I can’t comment
really about any of those places.When to go?I get asked this question a lot. I always say anytime you can go is good!! But there are times that are less crowded than others. Also there are a few weeks that I would stay away from at all costs!!
The summer time can be crowded and hot. We have gone in July and August and we prefer August. The last 2 weeks seem to be less crowded than the first two. When to avoid? Thanksgiving week, Christmas through New Years, Sping Break and most Holidays. The last 2 weeks in December I heard are very crowded too. We have gone in May,July, August, October, November and December. I love going either the first 2 weeks in November or December but the temps may be a bit cooler and the parks may close a bit earlier.
This website has a great crowd calendar. You need to pay to subscribe to view it. Your subscription lasts a year. I do it because I find their Crowd Calendars to be right on. http://touringplans.com/

Again I will say - go when you can! If you have the option of choosing a time then I would research it more but I know very well sometimes you don't have a choice.

Garden Grocer - We use Garden Grocer to deliver groceries to us in our room. (Snacks, Bottle Water etc) You dont need to be there to get them. They will leave them with the front desk. The resort will make sure the forzen stuff stays frozen and the cold stuff stays cold! When you get back to your room just call the front desk and they will have them delivered to your room. We usually start our order a few weeks in advance. You can save it and add to it or remove things. I usually finalize it 2 weeks before I want them delivered. Delivery dates can fill up. https://www.gardengrocer.com/?gclid=CNmFmu2gjrYCFVKf4AodtXMArg

Advance Dining Reservations

We like to get up early well we don’t really have a choice
as Sam wakes up around 4 am anyway. For me there is nothing like walking down Main
Street before anyone else is in there. How do we do that? Well I like to plan
many of our sit down meals in advance. We always have the dining plan and
usually go when they are offering it for FREE!! Many Disney table restaurants
you can make an Advance Reservation (ADR) 180 days before your check in date.
If you are staying in a Disney Resort they will let you book 180 days and the
following 10 days after as long as you have your resort confirmation number.
You can book these through the Disney website, by calling them or if you use a
travel agent they can do it for you. I always use this website to figure out my
call day on the 180 day mark. http://pscalculator.net/pscalc.php
I always say with a little bit of planning you could be eating steaks instead of burgers and fries.

So if Magic Kingdom opens at 9 the table restaurants will
start at 8. We take the first ADR we can get which is usually 8am. Since the
park isn’t open to the public yet you will need to go to the entrance for “Early
ADR’s”. It is always a good idea to have your ADR confirmation number on you.
There have been times where our name wasn’t on their list at the gate but our
number was. I am telling you walking up Main Street alone is awesome!! We also
get some of our best pictures at this time because there is nobody in the way!!
The PhotoPass photographers are all out at this time too and there aren’t any
lines so you won’t feel rushed at all. I highly recommend doing this if you can
get up and out early. Then at 9 when the park opens we are already in. I also
refer to Magic Kingdom the most because that is Sam’s favorite park but we
usually go early to all of them. I recommend Tusker House in Animal Kingdom for
an early breakfast too.

We like to plan out several of our meals. I am not a fan of
Quick Service dining. It is good sometimes but I hate hunting for a table for
my large family and Service Dog. I like to know we will get an air conditioned
break and be able to sit and recharge for a bit. It’s good for Sam, Hagrid, me
and everyone involved. This is a great site to check out for reviews and to
look over the menus of various Disney restaurants.http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showcat.php?cat=32

I am working on my SamsVoice.org site and plan on adding a section about Disney food. Keep on the lookout for it!

Ok so I mentioned PhotoPass before. Do you all know what
that is?? Well they have PhotoPass photographers all around the Disney Parks
even the water parks. They also have them at most character spots. You can’t miss them as they are dressed in white outfits
with their cameras ready to work. They
will take your picture for you. Yes they can be expensive but that is why I preorder
the PhotoPass CD.They have two offers
when we when we order last time. You could pre order the PhotoPass CD for This is a great page to learn more about PhotoPass
- http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/photopass.htm This is what we used to pre order – “Pre-order
Disney's Photo CD (http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx) - Cost is $119.95 (Up to $169.95 if purchased
after your vacation.) This offer is for all photos taken AFTER purchase (Photos
taken BEFORE purchase WILL NOT be included.) The price does not include taxes
and any shipping and handling fees.”You need to order this a few weeks before your
vacation. Once they came out with the Photo Pass + we started getting that. You
can order that here - http://www.disneyphotopass.com/specialoffers/wdwppp.htm“Pre-order Disney PhotoPass+ - For $149
(normally $199.95), you will receive a voucher to exchange for your PhotoPass+
card once you get to Walt Disney World, a Photo Gallery CD with 400 stock photos,
a code to create and order a PhotoCD online, print packages at select Dining
locations, digital photos from select Attractions.”

We love to pre order the PhotoPass + because it also
includes many rides and restaurant pictures. We used to buy the regular CD then
still buy our rides pictures at Tower of Terror, Space Ranger Spin etc….and at
certain restaurants. I like this one much better!! I usually order it a month
in advance. They will send you a voucher in the mail. DO NOT LOSE THIS!! I keep
it will all of my important vacation papers. When you get to a park you can ask
where to redeem it. They will give you a plastic card that you will hand to all
of the photographers to have your picture taken. **** TIP**** Take a good picture of the back
of the card where the number is. This way in case you lose your card you will
still have the number. The number is how you retrieve all of your photos on the
PhotoPass website.

One of our Photopass pictures. Also an example of some of
the things you can add to your pictures on the PhotoPass
website.

Stop at every photographer you wish and have them take
pictures. It’s also nice when you preorder because taking a picture with a
child with Autism can be quite the task!! Since we prepaid they will snap away
often getting the perfect shot in the end.Once your vacation is over you can log onto the Disney Photo Pass site
and enter your card number. It will pull up all of your pictures that they
took. You can add cool Disney borders and other cute things they have on their.
You will have 30 days from when you log on to finalize your pictures and have
them sent to you on CD. You have the release to them so you can then take them
anywhere to get printed.

Nobody plans on losing their child anytime anywhere but
sometimes it does happen. It is better to have a plan just in case this does.
This could vary depending on your child. For my older kids (17 & 15) it isn’t
that much of an issue anymore as they have their own cell phones, they know our
numbers and are old enough to maneuver through the parks alone if needed. First
thing we do is designated a meeting place just in case we do get separated. For
our younger kids (8-12) we tell them our meeting place but tell them to go to
the nearest Cast Member and tell them they are lost and where we are supposed
to meet up. Now my boys this age do know our phone number but you never know if
they will panic so I also have ID’s made for them that they wear with their
name and our cell phones number. Now for Sam, my boy with Autism this is an
entirely different situation. Sam is nonverbal
and refuses to wear ID. Before we had Hagrid we were so very nervous about him
running off from us and not being able to tell anyone who he is or that he has
Autism. We had special shirts made up for him. I went to the Disney store and
ordered several Disney T-shirts. Then I took them to our local screen printing
shop in town. I had them put an Autism Puzzle piece on the back and our info.
It said that his name is Sam and he is nonverbal if you see him alone please
call our number. There are a ton of IDs out there for kids it just depends on
what you think your child would keep on.

Example of the back of the shirts we had made.

Are you Celebrating anything special in Disney?

If you are make sure to tell them when you book your trip and also when you make your ADR's. some places will give you a Birthday cupcake.
There are also other things you can do. When we celebrated my son's 7th Birthday I had ordered him a special cake through the cake hotline. 407-827-2253
You can order a generic cake or ask them to make you something special. I had this cake made because it is my sons favorite ride. I had it delivered to our dinner reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern.

Our last trip with our sons Service dog was by far our best trip EVER!! Disney really does an amazing job making us feel welcomed with Hagrid.

﻿﻿﻿﻿

When you go into the park I recommend getting a Park Map for guest with Disabilities. On this map you will be able to see where the dog relief areas are. I would look for them before you need to use them. We never had an issue finding one but sometimes we needed help from a Cast Member. I was told they used to be “Backstage” so a CM used to have to take you to the area but that isn’t the case anymore which surprised me because most of the spots are out in the open. They can be hard to find though. They are VERY small and sometimes there is a little sign and sometimes the signs are missing. At first the size bothered me but when I thought about it Hagrid is trained to go on command anywhere I tell him too. He doesn’t need a big grassy area so I guess the size really wasn’t an issue. But I hated having to hear “Eww look at that do going pee over there.” There was also one relief spot in MK that was right next to a little shopping kart. This poor guy is trying to sell pins while my dog is 6 inches away doing his business. I suggested that maybe they put up a little fence or something just so other people don’t watch. But we never really had any issues finding or using them.

Here is one of the relief spots in Hollywood Studios.

There are many rides that they will allow the Service Dog on.Our son and dog are tethered together. We found it best to untether them before getting on the ride. It made life easier when it was time to get off of the ride. The first time we rode Haunted Mansion while they were tethered. It was quite the sight watching me getting Hagrid to turn around in the doom buggy – having me get off then Hagrid pulling Sam off. Lol.

There are some rides that your Service Dog isn’t allowed to ride on. This is from the Disney site

Attractions Not Allowing Service Animals

Due to the nature of the experience, service animals are not permitted on certain attractions. These include:

Magic Kingdom Park

Splash Mountain

Big Thunder Mountain

Peter Pan’s Flight

Space Mountain

Epcot

Mission: SPACE

Test Track

Soarin’

Sum of All Thrills

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Star Tours – The Adventure Continues

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Affection Section at Rafiki’s Planet Watch

Kali River Rapids

Expedition Everest

Primeval Whirl

DINOSAUR - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain®

A member of the party must remain with the animal at all times.

Here is more info from the Disney Website – unless if they changed it since we last went which they may have the relief info on the Disney site was wrong. Always check when you first arrive what the rules are.

The Heat!! If the ground is hot make sure your dog doesn’t burn his paws and give them plenty of water!

I also carry a little bag of dog food with me just in case we don’t get back to the room in time for his meal. I always also carry my own collapsible bowls to carry in the park and to use in the room.

Make sure you pick up after your dog and carry extra baggies on you just in case.

Pay attention to your dog. We found that when Sam was becoming tired, so was Hagrid. It’s bad trying to drag out your special needs child when they have had enough but it is even more challenging to do it with a 70 pound tired dog in tow!

During Parades claim your spot and make a barrier around your dog. People get nutty at parade time and some will do anything to inch in front of you. Most people aren’t expecting a dog to be laying there and will step on them. We tried to stand around Hagrid to avoid this from happening.

Be prepared for everyone to ask to pet your dog. It’s hard to say No to kids but here if you let one there will be hundreds by you. We learned very quickly to say No quickly because he is working.

Sam and Hagrid

Sometimes when it was really hot and we were taking a break by the pool at the resort we would give Hagrid a break too. Instead of making him sit in the heat and watch Sam in the pool that he isn’t allowed to go in we would let him stay in the room to cool off and rest. If for any reason you ever leave your dog in the room put up the Do Not Disturb sign on your door. The last thing you want if for a Mousekeeper to walk into your room to clean it or for whatever reason and be startled by a dog.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

So today I knew I was pushing Sam to do too much. I really
had no choice. I am surprised he held it together as long as he did but when he
popped Oh man did he ever! The morning started out ok. He woke up at 4am played
for a bit. I kept telling him he wasn’t going to school today and he seemed ok
with that. He had his yearly neurologist appointment in the early afternoon.
The Hospital he had to go to is about 45 minutes away from our house. I will be
the first to admit it that I am a TERRIBLE driver!!! Especially when I am not
sure where I am going. I have a GPS….Actually I have 3!! I use my IPhone, my
car has one and I have a portable one. The 3 of them never say the same way to
go. Like ever!! I trust my IPhone the most. My car and my protable have told me
to make left hand turns across major highways or turn down streets that aren’t
there. The plan was to have my hubby drive. My other son Josh was also
complaining that his ear hurt so I made a doctors appointment for him for 4. We
figured one of us would stay home with Sam while the other took Josh. As we
were getting ready to leave my hubby called my father-in-law to see how he was
doing. Turns out he had the same problem as last time he had the cardiac catheterization
done. He had internal bleeding in his leg. He had called 911 and was in the Ambulance
when my hubby called. Of course he went down to the hospital which is about an
hour away from us. So I took Sam to his
appointment. Sam hates going to the doctors. HATES it. He is terrified for some
reason. He freaks out and cries and I feel terrible. Once the neurologist came
in he started to play with Sam. Sam calmed down and he told me how much progress
Sam has made. He was also very intrigued with Hagrid and never heard of an
Autism Service Dog before. It was a good appointment.

On the way home I knew it would be easier on Sam if we went
to get Josh and take him to the doctor early so that’s what I did. I took Josh
out of school a bit early and his doctor let me come in early. Sam got a little
upset there but we kept reassuring him we weren’t there for him. Turns out josh
has an ear infection so on to the pharmacy we go.

I knew this was going to put Sam over his limit. I knew it
had all the making of a disaster!I
really had no choice though because I needed to get Josh’s prescription filled.
We go to a Mom & Pop type pharmacy. They all know all of us there and I
like that but the store is small and has a lot of breakable crap.We went to the back to drop off the
prescription and they said it would only be 5 minutes. When it was time to go
pay that’s when all hell broke loose!Sam started having a meltdown. I knew I was in trouble…Even Hagrid knew.
Hagrid was looking at me like “Whoa lady! I can’t handle this!”Sam was trying to run down one of the aisles
but he couldn’t because he was tethered. Hagrid was in his “Stay” position and
man was Sam PISSED!! He yanked and yanked. I tried pulling him back to us by
the tether and he was pulling the other way. I grabbed his arm and pull him
towards me. At this point I am a hot mess!!! My purse and Sam’s Dynavox are
falling off my one shoulder (most annoy feeling in the world is to have straps
falling off your shoulder), and my other arm I am trying to hold him close to
me so he doesn’t break anything. The pharmacist was waiting for me to sign my receipt
during all of this and the entire store was at a standstill. Everyone was
watching us and I knew it. I could really care less that they were. The pharmacist
told me to take my time and I felt like yelling “Take my time?! I need to get
the F&&K out of here like now!!”. I signed my receipt and asked Josh to
take the bag for me. I am trying to quickly decide which aisle is the widest to
make my exit…. This entire time Sam is still in full meltdown mode. I pick my
aisle and am walking as fast as I can. Oh man did I pick the wrong aisle!! Two
of Sam’s favorite things in the world Crayons and Play Doh!! I quickly dragged
him past them because he is so far gone that he wouldn’t have been happy even
if I brought every one they had. I am fumbling through the store when FINALLY
some man offers me some help! THANK YOU GOD!!! He cleared the way for me and
opened up both doors so we could get out. I thanked him a million times for helping
me as the other 20 people in there just stared and did nothing.So the saga continued outside. Josh and
Hagrid both got in the car and Sam wouldn’t get in. He kept trying to close the
door on me and hitting me. Finally I got him in his seat and he did the arch
your back move. I had to use all my force to get him in and buckle him. Thank
the lord for my 5 point harness child seat for big boys. Once he is in he can’t
get himself out. So he is still having a meltdown. My good friend Anne calls at
that moment. She always seemed to know when to call. She asked how my day was.
LOL She then quickly heard Sam freaking out. He cried all the way home. Once we
got home he put on his PJ’s and was exhausted. So was I!! I feel terrible when
he gets like that. It doesn’t happen often these days but it does happen.

I feel like people who know us and know how GREAT Hagrid has
been maybe think that Sam is more like a typical kid. That is far from the
truth. Sam still struggles daily with
things. Now before Hagrid came along meltdowns like today used to happen many
times in one day. Now they happen rarely. Thank god.But people always seemed so surprised when
they do happen. Sam still has Autism. Sam gets overstimulated and has
meltdowns. He doesn’t sit and watch TV. He doesn’t stand still and let me have
a conversation with someone while we are out. He doesn’t play with others like
a typical kid would. He will destroy your house. But he will make eye contact
with you. He will try to talk to you in his own way. He will try to play with
you in his own way. He will love you. He will melt your heart. He will try to
make you understand his world. I am so
thankful for the progress Sam has made over the past few months. He has come
such a far way.He is my world.
Everything I do is for him. But I hate days like today!! Now he is sleeping and
tomorrow is a new day!

My father-in-law is still in the hospital but seems to be
doing well. The bleeding has stopped. They told him he needs to stay in bed
until tomorrow and then they will have him move around and hope everything is
ok.